LGBT Health and Wellbeing – Well Proud

Monthly Archives: April 2015

This is a list of updates from and for the Scottish transgender community in February 2015. If you would like to contribute this in the future please get in touch.

Don’t forget to sign up to T Monthly, our regular trans-focussed newsletter, for all the most up-to-date information. You can download a PDF of this month’s full edition here.

You can find more information on volunteering, including the Language Café and Gardening roles, here.

HIV Scotland Advisory Group

HIV Scotland has an opportunity for a transgender person to join their advisory group, shaping and giving insight into the work the organisation does to bring about positive change for people living with and at risk of HIV in Scotland.

Transgender people are one of the key populations that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated can be at higher risk of contracting HIV, so we want to ensure we involve a transgender person – whether or not they are living with HIV – in this critical group.

HIV Scotland is the policy organisation for HIV in Scotland, and we therefore exist to ensure that all relevant HIV policy and practice is grounded in evidence and in the experiences of people living with and at risk of HIV.

We have a distinctive role as an independent non-governmental organisation to:

Advocate for people living with and at risk of HIV, challenging stigma, and encouraging the meaningful engagement of people in delivering equitable and quality services across Scotland

Focus on policy, capacity building and campaigning

Unite the third sector and community by bringing agencies/people together in support of policy development, information sharing and joint action.

HIV Scotland have an Advisory Group that advises and adds unique insight into the HIV Scotland workplan. The group meets twice a year in the evening in central Edinburgh and is comprised of people living with and at risk of HIV. We pay for people’s travel to get to the meetings and provide food and drink for the meeting itself.

We are very keen to recruit a transgender person to this Advisory Group, so that this can contribute to the policy landscape of HIV in Scotland and add this voice to the HIV Scotland workplan.

New website to provide support for those who have suffered/are suffering on-line abuse

In response to concerns around the online safety of LGBT individuals, the Government Equalities Office has funded a new website, developed in partnership with Galop, which seeks to address these concerns and provide advice to those who have suffered/are suffering online abuse. The guidance pulls together a range of information that is currently held across a range of organisations into one place, creating a simple, visually attractive and user-friendly interface.

Introduction to Trans Issues Workshops

Trans Dundee and Sexpression Dundee have put together an introduction to trans issues workshop. It takes about an hour and a half, and explores questions including what it means to be transgender and how everyone can be more inclusive of trans people. It has been delivered to over 100 people so far this year, with excellent feedback, and upcoming sessions are being planned in Dundee, St Andrews and Dumfries. If you are interested in attending one of these workshops, would like to arrange for a workshop to be delivered, or are interested in learning to deliver these workshops yourself, get in touch with Jai at transandintersexdundee@gmail.com

Useful trans community links and resources

The Scottish Transgender Alliance works to improve gender identity and gender reassignment equality, rights and inclusion in Scotland. Click here to access a wealth of links and resources for the trans community. http://www.scottishtrans.org/resources/

Key Funders

LGBT helpline 0300 123 2523

LGBT Health and Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6TE
The LGBT Healthy Living Centre (known as LGBT Health and Wellbeing) is recognised as a charity by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, no. SC034216.